Final Fantasy XIII on PS3 won’t require an install

There’s an extensive preview of Final Fantasy XIII in the latest issue of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, predominantly showing off new heroine Oerba Yun Fang (above) and her summon, Bahamut. Scans of this are available here.

But Oerba Yun Fang – fetching as she is – is not the biggest news of this update.

Nope, the real meat is that IGN translated the article and discovered that there will be no install required for the PlayStation 3 version of the game. I repeat: NO INSTALL REQUIRED. If you’ve bought any other PS3 game with a mandatory lengthy install (oh hai, Devil May Cry 4), this is a blessed relief.

Final Fantasy XIII hits Japanese PlayStation 3s on December 17; meanwhile, the U.S. and Europe will be getting it on PS3 and Xbox 360 in spring 2010.